A personal digital notepad (PDN) is a digitizer-and-pen device that allows a writer to record handwritten information on a standard paper notepad, and simultaneously record an electronic carbon copy of the writing. The CrossPad marketed by the A.T. Cross Company and the IBM ThinkScribe are examples of PDNs. Such electronic ink collection devices have the requirement that when users wish to enter formatted data, i.e., “labeled ink,” they must perform some action to signal that event. The term “formatted data” refers to data, such as an address, in which there are multiple items or parts; see below “Definitions.” Furthermore, in most such cases, users desire or expect that the labeled ink will be recognized into text suitable for parsing and subsequent entry into some application program or database, such as a Personal Information Manager (PIM).
The existing methodology includes free-form entry of the data to be formatted “in-line,” defined as follows. In this scenario, the user must: (1) write ink on whatever is the current page; and (2) give an electronic signal specifying which ink is to be labeled as formatted data. This is about as minimal a user-interface as can be imagined, but will usually require large amounts of post-processing, both on the recognition and the parsing. Because of this need for extensive post-processing, users may simply switch to their PIM or other application program and enter the data directly, without writing any ink at all. This is the scenario used with IBM's InkManager 2.0 and the CrossPad.
In other suggested scenarios for a write-on-paper device, such as IBM's ThinkScribe, the user-interface limitation is that the user is either asked to perform a large number of actions, some electronic and some physical, or else is asked to perform large amounts of post-processing.
In a third category of existing handwriting capturing methodologies, such as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,734,129 issued to Belville et al. on Mar. 31, 1998 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,627,349 issued to Shetye et al. on May 6, 1997, the only mode of data entry possible on the data entry device is formatted electronic ink data, i.e., the forms are completely predefined and completely occupy the writing area.
Thus, a need exists for methods and apparatus for performing entry of formatted electronic ink in accordance with handwriting systems, such as a PDN, which substantially minimize post-processing efforts, and do not prevent the entry of unformatted electronic ink.